Talk:Constance Bonacieux/@comment-76.114.231.53-20140906131443/@comment-14.201.54.34-20150119145547
While the archetype of the unfaithful wife or unhappy housewife may indeed "give women a bad name", this adaption of Constance Bonacieux's character is far more complex. The audience is presented with a woman who must work within the patriachy to achieve anything, like all the female characters in The Musketeers, yet is in contrast to Milady de Winter - in considering others (choosing her husband's well being over her own happiness) and making the decision to remain moral (I'll get to her affair with d'Artagnan in a moment) - and Ninon de Larroque - in terms of her position in society and how that dictates Constance's discretion and caution (speaking in dark, quiet alley ways for women's rights; learning to defend herself in secret; "It's not so easy when you don't have money"; and the worldly intelligence and wisdom she begins to show in series 2) compared to Ninon's outspoken defiance (being infamous for her rebellion against society; being learned as she has the time and the means to support herself and her pursuit of a more formal education) - and the Queen - who is similiar to Constance if you consider her methods, yet, again, is defined by her place in society (though perhaps almost more rigidly than Constance is) - in order to play a part in a complex exploration of the society and historical context. In addition, she's is more than just d'Artagnan's love interest: she challenges his ideas of gender roles. D'Artagnan often presents a low regard for women ("I don't need a woman to protect me"; "Don't you just love it when a plan works out?"; and his blatant use of her self-defence lessons to feel her up) which she eiether rejects outright, or proves to be incorrect or unjust over the following episodes. (However, don't get me started on the characterisation of the pair in the first few episodes of the second series - or d'Artagnan, who obviously still hasn't worked it out. Which is why I totally ship Constaramis; I mean, their "You got this?" SCORE FOR FEMINISM dynamic is pure gold). The comment "I have to agree..." states that "we never saw Bonacieux mistreat or abuse Constance". However, in the very few scenes in which Bonacieux appears with his wife, he either is being emotionally manipulative (threatening to kill d'Artagnan, which would make someone do anything regardless of whether they were sleeping with him or not), or derisive and dismissive (glaring; dragging her around;speaking on her behalf). This is a form of abuse. This is a dangerous relationship. His attempted suicide, whether he genuinely wished to end his life or not, demonstrates the lengths at which he is willing to go in order to maintain control over Constance. He knows that Constance will choose what is best for others, her selfless nature is shown in the way that she protects and fights for her friends, the Musketeers and the young girl in The Rebellious Woman (her name escapes me). In the historical context, suicide is one of the worst sins and would bring so much shame upon Bonacieux's name (his vanity is evident in his demand for propriety, his rules about the interaction between men and women, and the way he speaks of and carries himself - making this an even bigger deal), and he risks all that to keep his wife. While we may not see Bonacieux beating his wife, it is certainly not a healthy relationship. The idea of female sexuality is not a foreign concept in the time period (it was actually believed that a woman had to orgasm in order to concieve, so women's sexual pleasure and satisfaction was well and truly alive and kicking), and it is well established within the universe of the show (Milady's comments about a woman taking a lover being "perfectly natural"; the acknowledgement of lesbians, however sinful they may be; Milady herself;Anne and Aramis), so it would not be unheard of for Constance to seek a lover outside of her unhappy marriage. Furthermore, in such a marriage, with such a husband, and with what little options she had regarding her control over her situation (divorce being virtually impossible; being unable to earn an income or support herself without a man; likely, an arranged marriage) her choice to succumb to her own pleasure and interests, and to participat in a romantic relationship with someone other than her husband, is - in this case - actually rather empowering. For that reason, I love Constance as a character, and think she is actually given women a pretty good name in a world where they barely had one at all. While I respect your opinion, perhaps you shouold avoid being so damning or try not to slut-shame in the name of feminism, for that certainly won't give women any sort of name that I appreciate. **forgive any spelling mistakes and the run on sentences - it's 2am